The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-06-27
WILES OE THE FAKIRS.
How the Gullible Guy" and His Money
Are Gathered in at Fairs.
From the Chicago Nal.


where your head is level. My regards"
The old man settled himself back in the
big chair with the uncomfortable wooden
arms, pushed his heels little further up on
the barroom table, raised his glass of whisky
and water with beaming courtesy, clinked
it against another glass and emptied it at
gu!ltP3, on,ra asking m. about f.kirs. amt
YOUR he resumed, with an alcoholic mel
lowness in his voice. That's where you
are level-headed again. If there's any one
who knows anything about the subject I'm
the man. I've been fakir, let me see,
well-n
Ten years, perhaps"
every one of them; every one of fifteen.
Very likely every one of twenty. Things
is changin' in fakin' as they are in every
thing else. The competition is fierce nova
days, tell YOU and if you want to make
anything out of the wheel or the she'll or the
cards you've got to be as smart as bank
president"
1.-THE wheelm
Eyes, the wheel is one of the favorite
games nowadays. The shells is another and
the cards is third. And there's fraud in
all of them. Ha, hal When / think O. the
lots of people as is fooled day after day it do
make me giggle<
The old man giggled so much that he had
to have some more whisky and water, eS-
pecially whisky, to bring his muscles back
into their normal state and his thoughts into
their ordinary channel. Then he struck
big chunk of philosophy. Said he; ''if peo-
pie what gets fooled didn't always think they
were heap smarter than the people what
fools em they wouldn't get left so often
Fakirs live by making other people believe
they are smarter than they themselves are
Take that idea out, and there wouldn't be
any game left"
Lets begin with the wheel"
"Well, the wheel then. The wheel is a
circle marked out on table covered with
oil-cloth. The table is four or five feet long
by three or four wide, and divided into parts
so it can be folded up easily. The circle is
divided into little sections, painted red,
white, and blue. In the middle of the circle
is brass or steel spear, fixed on pivot so
as to swing. Eakirs follow fairs and circuses
and horse races most generally, though they
go wherever there is a crowd, especially of
country people. Well, nowI set up my table
on the fair grounds, say. bet any one a
dollar or two, or any sum they like, against
any of my three colOrs. Suppose there are
eighteen color sections and 81 on each. Red
wins. lose six reds, but can pay it out of
the other twelve winnings and be square.
But if the game is kept up long enough get
all the money!
"Fowgn
"Well, in my table there is a little groove
running from the edge close to the PIVOT of
the spear. In the groove. and connected
with little spring in the edge, is strong
iron rod"
"Calledp
1.-THE pinch 1t pinches the countryman's
dollars without their even suspecting it, for
the whole arrangement is all covered with
the oilcloth. 1t amt often all the colors are
That.o will 10
can bet as much as you like on any color.
Well, have partner, don't you know, for
l wouldn't be no good without a partner
He leans over the table very careless like,
and gets his fingers over the spring in the
edge He keeps his eye on the colors and
when the majority of the money is laid ON
the color he, by gently pressing the spring,
stops the spear on another color-the enc on
which he has bet. Well, if the crowd
gets follerin' him in his bets, why he lets
himself lose and we rake in the big pile
again"
But does not the crowd suspect hm?''
1T would If he stayed long enough.
But after he is here awhile he leaves and
another plays it: he goes and third
comes. We travel in crowds of three or four
or five. All the men run various games of
their own, and after the show divide up the
profits"
"Of course, you always divide fairlyr'
Sometimes we do and sometimes we
don't. Very often there is disputin' and
fights, but everything generally ends in
peace, because we can only work well in
gangs. Instead of colors on the wheel,
we sometimes have a figure, an eagle, or
Gen. jackson, or something else. The be t.
ting is that the point of the spear will stop
over that figure As there is only one
chance out of lot, the fakir gives big odds
sometimes $40 to ST. But the country
man never gets that money; the player on
the secret spring is always around in games
like that"
'Now, the she'll games.n
1.-THE shell is a great game. 1t is played
generally with three half shells of English
walnuts and little gum ball about as big
as pea. The ball is made of stuff used in
printing press rollers. l throw out the
shells on table, place one of them over
the ball, and move them all about. Where
is the balls Bet anybody he cant't find it.
Well, some fellow assure he has followed me
in my movements He has seen me put a
certain shell over the ball | took good
care that he noticed it. That was the bait.
He bets me $40, $40 that he can pick out the
shell over the ball. | bet. He picks up the
shell that he had kept his eye ON. Well, the
ball is not there 1t is under another she'll
win. Now, that's as easy as preachin' AS
l move the shell about | manage to press a
finger against the ball, which sticks to the
finger, and quietly place it under another
shell. So you see Mr.. Smarty was sold
again. The shells bring in money fast The
bets are big. We have to put up literally,
though, to people in charge of fairs and
other such gatherings to be allowed to run.
Then special officers have got to be remem-
bered, too"
Don't the people who are-are-"
"Swindledm
Don't they ever grumbleT'
"They do. So it's the business of fakir,
then, to be cool and quick I've stood I'M
armed in a crowd of hundred or two hun
bred men, all ready to kill me, and Just
laughed away their threats But if we are
cornered we must fight our way through,
and we do it. But our aim is to live in quiet
and peace. We want TO escape attracting
any attention. The shells bring in some
times $500 a day. We don't keep the
money about u.s. As fast as we win we
pretend to let partner win it from us, so
that if we should be lockedup and any vic
tim wants his money back, nothing is found
on u.s. Sometimes the confederate is a
woman"
"Are fal1irs often arrestedr'
"No; very rarely. | knew one-Big
Harry, whom you can find round most any
night when he is not away on business
who was arrested last fall in Rich
mond, Va, for playing the shells and got
four months The punishment sur
1 Ill 4. 4 II 4